Indie games have become increasingly popular in recent years. Independent developers and some big-name developers are releasing an increasing number of indie games. After Minecraft’s success, indie games are gaining appeal, even among those unfamiliar with the genre.
You can find thousands of indie games and other games on Steam. Many of them are highly-rated and reviewed games. However, not every critically and user-acclaimed games are the best. As a result, you may have to scroll through many games to find the one that is right for you.
To save you this hassle, we have listed some best indie games on steam.
Best Indie Games on Steam
Hades
Hades is one of the critically acclaimed indie games and the Best Indie and Action game of 2020. If you ask anyone who has played Hades, you will hear nothing but praise for this game. Hades was thought to be another dungeon crawler game, but the way this game is made, the storyline, and the intensity of the game are epic.
Hades (God of the Underworld in Greek mythology) follows Zagreus, Hades’ immortal son, who is trying to locate his mother to piece together his family’s past but is trapped by his father. Along your way, you will get boons or bonus stats from different gods of Olympus to help you escape. But you have to go through an army of the dead.
The game will make you fall in love with it instantly. However, you will surely be frustrated with the game. The game mechanics are simple. You have to hack and slash your way out of the underworld in a fast-paced game. But the game is very hard with different enemies and powerful bosses pitted against you, and you will die multiple times.
The frustrating thing and the reason this game is so good is every time you die, you have to start the game from the beginning. So, even if you are one step away from the end-game and die, you must start again.
You may even thrash your controller or keyboard and mouse. However, each time you die, you will know the pattern of the enemy attack and be more skilled. You can choose to play with weapons like guns, swords, etc.
Among Us
Among Us is an online multiplayer sci-fi game that involves a murder mystery. Although the game was released in 2018, it rose to popularity when Covid-19 hit, and everyone was in their home. “Among Us” quickly gained popularity among us (pun intended) because of its refreshing gameplay and easy availability on all platforms.
The game is simple. There are two roles, one is Crewmate, and one is Impostor. You can play with 15 players, among which three will be randomly chosen as impostors. Impostors must kill crewmates one by one without revealing their identity, and crewmates must find the impostor and throw them out of the spaceship that is broken and not working.
Impostors can sabotage the crew missions by cutting off the light, depleting oxygen, etc. And crewmates have missions they must complete before impostors kill all the crewmates. The game takes a lot of strategy and teamwork, which is fun to play with a group of friends.
Players can choose among maps or locations, i.e., spaceship, planet base, above earth base, and a Henry Stickmin-themed Airship. It is easy to play and can quickly be addictive. So, get your deceiving game on and kill some tiny astronauts if you become an impostor, which is more fun, by the way.
Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
Fall Guys is another massively popular indie game on Steam. Gamers who have played or just watched the game have full praise for this game. It is a funny yet competitive game that is perfect for passing the time.
Fall Guys is also an online game where you will be competing with other players online or your friends. In one game, sixty players can join, so you can say it is a battle royale game with no guns and typical battle royale fights.
Players are jelly-bean-like characters where the motive is to run through a course with different obstacles like in TV game shows like Wipeout and become victorious by eliminating other players or being the last player standing by competing in three to five rounds with each unique randomly selected map.
This is it. This game does not have very long descriptions and is very easy to play. Even kids can play this game with no skills whatsoever. So, if you are bored playing typical hard-to-play games or games where you have to play focused, Fall Guys can give you a break.
Limbo
Limbo, translated as the place where souls reside who are neither assigned to heaven nor hell in Catholicism, is a puzzle-platform two-dimensional game released in 2010. It is also another critically acclaimed game that won Best Animated Video Game in 2011.
Limbo is a 2D side-scroller game, meaning you can move only left and right using your controller. In addition to left and right movement, players can also jump and climb.
Limbo follows the story of a little boy controlled by us (players) passing through forests and post-apocalyptic-looking cities where he finds different monsters. The reason this unnamed boy goes through this is to find his sister.
You will also find some people apart from monsters. However, these people either try to kill him, disappear mysteriously, or run away from him. The game is designed in black and white tones with minimalistic sound but in a haunted environment.
The game gives the feel of certain discomfort while playing and watching the story unfold and creates confusion as no background of the boy or story is given.
Don’t expect to complete this game in one try; you cannot unless you have already played this game. The puzzles in the game will take time, and you will die at least once until you figure out the puzzle. So, you must try your best to avoid traps and monsters and get to your destination unharmed.
If you haven’t played Limbo and are interested in puzzle games, it can be a unique and refreshing puzzle game for you. It is available on almost every platform. Don’t miss out on this game, as it is one of the greatest games of all time.
Inside
Inside is also a 2.5D puzzle-platformer adventure game from the same developers of Limbo. In fact, it is the successor to Limbo and is said to be a better game than Limbo.
Even though Limbo and Inside are quite similar games, we could not restrain ourselves from putting Inside on the list as it is considered a significant improvement over Limbo.
Inside is also a bit more difficult than limbo and has the same kind of dark and eerie gameplay but with improved direction. It also follows an unnamed boy through various places avoiding death.
The theme and control mechanics of the game is the same. However, Inside offers players more interactive gameplay with science fiction elements.
The game starts with an unnamed boy sliding down from a height and running through the forest. Then, he sees some guards with lights with dogs. Then you can control the boy, moving him cautiously so no one can see him.
Like Limbo, you must go through different traps, guards, puzzles, and other obstacles to complete the game.
Many don’t know this, but the game has an alternative ending. We will not mention this ending here as we don’t want to spoil the game for you. If you have only played Limbo or not, Inside is a must-play indie game and can be considered one of the best indie games ever made.
Five Nights at Freddy’s
Five Nights at Freddy’s is an indie point-and-click horror game with lots of jump scares but is short in length. It was released in 2014 and became one of the unique indie games that gamers love worldwide. There are nine Five Nights at Freddy’s video games connected with the first game.
Basically, you are a night shift guard in a worn-out Chuck-E cheese-like restaurant called Freddy Fazbear Pizza with lots of creepy animatronic mascots that are programmed for crowd entertainment.
The main antagonist or mascot is Freddy Fazbear with his two friends. However, these mascots behave erratically at night, and the owner hires you as a guard rather than repairing the mascots.
You need to save yourself from these mascots before they get you by ensuring they are in the place they are supposed to be. You are given a limited power supply which you have to utilize very precisely for security cameras and doors to get you through the night, which is 12 am to 6 am.
So, it is a survival game that needs a bit of strategy and timing. If you are a fan of indie horror games, this game is the best in the market.
Hollow Knight
Hollow Knight is a two-dimensional platform and action-adventure game, one of the hardest indie games to play. It was released in 2017 and won Best Sound for Interactive Media in the same year. So, apart from the great gameplay and engaging graphics, the soundtrack of this game is also one of the great in video games.
The game plot follows a kingdom of Hallownest captured by the Radiance, a god-like moth creature. It starts to infect game creatures called bugs. And to fight this, a hero is made named Hollow Knight, who can contain the radiance.
But eventually, the infection gets free from Hollow Knight. This is when the main player is introduced to fight the infection and kill the radiance.
The main character you control is an insect-like knight who is always silent. It wields a sword as its main weapon for combat and interaction. The game mechanics are simple with hack and slash mechanics with which you have to kill small bugs and insects and big bosses.
Also, there are lots of NPCs with whom you can interact. You can buy charms and learn spells to damage enemies from range. Using Geo, an in-game currency, you can upgrade your combat skills and abilities. There are lots of items that you can collect for easier gameplay.
To conclude, Hollow Knight is a complete game with great gameplay and soundtrack. If you are searching for a simple yet complicated game that can challenge you, Hollow Knight can be the game for you.
Enter the Gungeon
Enter the Gungeon is a dungeon run or explore game involving many guns, so the name “Enter the Gungeon.” It is a rogue-like twin-stick shooter game that gives you an arcade-like feeling. It revolves around a group of misfits who want to get their hands on a gun that can kill the past.
You can choose between 4 characters to play in Gungeon with their bonus perks. The game is not the hardest, but you need to get used to the roll, dodge, and shoot mechanics to improve. With lots of guns and bonuses and powerful bosses to fight, it can be a simple yet fun shooting indie game that you have played till now.
The game has many floors, game modes, enemies, bosses, and guns to play with. The graphics are not the best, but the gameplay and the way you have to focus on the game will take that issue out. You will have to learn about different guns in the game and use them per your requirement.
If you want to play a simple indie game with a simple storyline and senseless shooting, this game will be perfect for you.
Dead Cells
Dead Cells is one of the best rogue-like indie games out there for you to try and play. At first glance, it may not be the most eye-pleasing game, but once you divulge yourself in the game, you get to know how addictive it can be.
You play as a blob of fire and smoke that can consume other beings’ cells so they can be resurrected. Playing as a blob, you must fight with monsters and consume their cells to be more powerful.
You have to be completely focused and play continuously without any break. If you even stop for a second, you will die and have to start from the beginning. With each run, you will be addicted to the game and cannot get enough of this game.
Blasphemous
Blasphemous is an action-platformer and hack and slash game. It is fast-paced that needs skilled gameplay to succeed. The game was released in 2019 and has established itself as a gruesome, intense, and hard game like Dark Souls.
The story and attacking mechanic like parry, dodge, roll, and attack is the highlight of the game. With different areas or maps, you can fight different monsters and bosses that will keep you engaged in the game.
The story starts when a curse has befallen the land of Cvstodia. The main character of this game is the Penitent One, a survivor of a massacre and cursed with death and rebirth. Your job is to go through many hurdles and get to the source of your agony uncovering many secrets.
If you have played Dark Souls and want to get its feel in an indie game, Blasphemous is the one for you but with less difficulty. Its gory and bloody nature and dark style game nature will keep you involved if you are into this stuff in a game.
